attention all wine enthusiasts

we are selecting which wines to add to our open bar, and I have no clue what to offer. We are going to offer 1 red, 1 white, and a sparkling/champs. I don’t drink wine (I have chronic migraines), so I have no clue what is good. The venue gave me a couple recs, but they are on the more expensive end of the menu, so I know they are just trying to make $$.

I don’t even know where to start…They gave me a massive list with probably 100 wines.

You do not need to spend a ton on wine. There are plenty of great bottles of wine for under $10 (store prices at least). No one is going to expect super amazing wine at a wedding. I only drink red, if you could list some of the cheaper options I can help.

What are you offering for dinner? Not that that makes a huge difference, but it might help. I agree that there’s no need to buy the more expensive wines. Can you copy and paste the list? Off the cuff I’d suggest a cab sav for the red and a chardonnay for the white… but I don’t really drink a lot of white wine so you might want a white wine drinker’s opinion on that one!

I think that if you are going to go for appealing to the masses, I would go with a cabernet sauvignon for red and a chardonnay for white. You’ll want to go for a milder cab and a chardonnay that is not too “oaky.”

Agreed with PP, you do not need to spend more than $10-15 per bottle. If you provide some brand options I’m sure posters can help you narrow it down even more!

Wine can be complicated. Normally, I’d say to set up a tasting and see what you like, but in your situation, that won’t work. So, here’s what I would suggest:

White: Chardonnay is one the most popular white wines. It’s versatile, crisp and light. Would go well with dishes without a heavy sauce.

Sauvignon blanc is also a popular option. It tends to be a little more aggressive in flavor than a chardonnay, and can hold up against more complex foods.

Red: Cabernet sauvignon is a classic option. It tends to be bold, with a lot of complexity. Best for steaks, dishes with a heavy cream sauce. They can usually stand up to something like a peppercorn crusted steak.

Merlot is a bit milder and softer than a Cabernet usually. Less acidic and less astringent. Best for dishes that are in the middle of the road as far as heaviness and big flavors.

If you’re looking for mass appeal, I’d go with one of those. Most people will be familiar with those varieties.

Cabernet Sauvingnon is something that most people who like reds will like. So pick out a medium option of that (not sure what the price range is that they are offering you). For whites, we served a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc – I think about equal amounts of each were consumed, so either of those should be fine. Does your fiance like wine? What we did was bought a bunch of bottles from the options we were given and had people over at home for a little wine tasting to help us pick.

texaslemon: Not being able to sample them yourself stinks. I’d say a nice red would be some variety of pinot noir, not too dry nor too sweet. As for a white- chardonnays are popular and pinot grigio’s are again a mid range crowd pleaser for whites, not too sweet or too tart..

I would do a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay (one that isn’t too oaky) as my first picks. If not the chardonnary I’d do either a Sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, depending on what you’re serving/time of year.

If possible, try to have 2 whites and 2 reds, so you can go with something crisper (Chardonnay) and something oakier (sauv blanc) (whites) as well as something lighter (Zinfandel or Tempernillo) and something deeper (cab or merlot) (reds).

Moscato is a dessert wine and often has added sugars. I’m partial to drier cavas myself

I personally HATE a lot of Chardonnays, as like other PPs said they tend to be too oaky. I’d always opt for a NZ sauv blanc or maybe a viognier? but I suspect a sauvignon blanc is most liked all round maybe?

Right now the most popular white is a Pinot Grigio and Red would be a Cabernet. That’s what I’d go with! Malbec’s are also really popular but they can have a bit of a bite that wouldn’t go well with a lighter meal.

Back in the 90s it would have been a Merlot and Chardonnay.

If you’re having red meat and fish/chicken you might want to go lighter with your red choice and rather than a cab you could go with a Merlot or Ripasso so that it pairs well with both options.